Natural gas line explosion rocks rural Louisiana

A natural gas transmission line exploded in a rural Louisiana community about 70 miles north of New Orleans, knocking out power and causing area residents to be evacuated, local authorities said.

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By ALISON SIDER

A natural gas transmission line exploded in a rural
Louisiana community about 70 miles north of New Orleans,
knocking out power and causing area residents to be evacuated,
local authorities said.

A large mushroom cloud and fire erupted from the line
following the explosion at around 5:00 a.m., said Lauren
Ritchie, a spokesman for the Washington Parish Sheriff's
Office.

The line, owned by Florida Gas Transmission, carries natural
gas from Texas along the Gulf Coast through Louisiana and into
Florida.

It appears no one was injured or killed in the blast. The
Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency
Preparedness said 55 people were evacuated from a one-mile
area, and Ms. Ritchie said the explosion knocked out power to
the small rural community of Plainview.

One mobile home was destroyed in the fire, but the woman who
lives there were able to escape, Ms. Ritchie said.

The explosion comes on the heels of fatal explosions at two
different chemical plants outside of Baton Rouge last week.

It's not yet clear what caused the explosion outside of
Franklinton the Governor's office said the gas fire is
extinguished but nearby trees are still burning. Ms. Ritchie
said state and federal responders are waiting for the area to
become safe before going in to investigate.

Vicki Granado, a spokeswoman for Florida Gas, said the
affected section of the 5,500 mile line has been shut in, and
natural gas is being rerouted. The incident won't have any
impact on the company's deliveries, she said.

Somebody somewhere is not doing his job properly.Strict implrmentation of all rules and regulations is required.Detailed investigation of accident is required for preventing similar accidents in future.

antonio d'alessio06.21.2013

In my opinion, the frequency of accidents, explosions, fires, etc in the oil&gas industry denotes poor engineering, compared with engineering performed until 10 -15 years ago.Always in my opinion, this is caused by an improper use of computers software, that facilitate calculations but put to sleep "thinking".